“Oh no!” Piper ran past him and found Jiggs sprawled out on the kitchen floor, his front paws trapping the waxed paper as he licked it clean. “Thank God we didn’t make chocolate cookies! We need to make more so Sophie doesn’t get upset. I hope he doesn’t get sick.”
“He’s got a cast-iron stomach.” Harley scowled at Jiggs. “Dude, you’re eating up my make-out time.”
Between long, steamy kisses and enticingly erotic gropes, the second batch of cookies took a little longer to mix than the first. Once the rest of the cookies were in the oven, Harley and Piper went out back with Jiggs. They left the door open so they could hear the girls and sat on the steps of the deck, looking out at the water. Harley had been riding high since Piper visited him at Dutch’s yesterday afternoon. That telling visit, along with their admission to the girls, felt like they were finally making progress toward a real relationship.
Jiggs pushed his nose between them. Harley scratched Jiggs’s head and said, “You really are the worst wingman, buddy.”
“Careful, you’ll give him a complex.” Piper pushed to her feet, looking at Harley’s right leg, stretched out along the steps. “I’ll be careful of your ankle,” she said, straddling his hips. Her arms circled his neck and she glanced over her shoulder at his ankle, which was resting comfortably on a riser. “Is that too much pressure?”
“No.” He wrapped his arms around her and said, “You look beautiful tonight.”
She brushed her fingers along the back of his neck and said, “Let me clue you in on something. I’m a sure thing. You don’t need to say stuff like that.”
He should have expected that response, but that didn’t mean he’d accept it. “I don’t say anything because I need to. I say what I feel. Period. So get used to it, babe, because it’s not going to change.”
“You never know . . .”
She lowered her mouth toward his, but he cradled her face in his hands, stopping her short, and said, “I do know, Piper. I’ve known for a long time.”
“Then show me,” she challenged.
He crushed his mouth to hers, their tongues battling for control. She ground against him, making him hard as stone. He grabbed her ass with one hand and pushed the other into her hair, angling her mouth against his. She opened wider, allowing him to take the kiss deeper, rougher, sending an electric current arcing through him. She felt so good and right in his arms, he lowered himself to his back, bringing her down on top of him without breaking their kiss. The wooden deck was hard on his back, but nothing could take away from the perfectness of Piper rubbing her whole body against him.
She made a sizzlingly sexy noise as he ran his hands down her sides and clutched her ass, rocking up as she ground against him. He wrapped her in his arms, holding the back of her head, and rolled them over, cradling her off the hard decking. She wrapped her legs around the backs of his thighs as they kissed. When he drew back, pressing several lighter kisses to her lips and cheek, she kept her eyes closed, making a soft, sexy sound.
He pressed his cheek to hers and said, “I could kiss you forever.” He felt her stiffen a little and pressed a kiss beside her ear, whispering, “That’s not going to change either, Pipe. I know you’re worried, but you don’t have to be with me.”
She opened her eyes, genuine desire gleaming up at him. She used desire as a mask for her vulnerabilities so often, he liked to think he could tell the difference.
“Kiss me,” she said softly.
He lowered his lips to hers, soaking in her eager kisses. He was captivated by the feel of her soft, feminine curves beneath him and the press of her hands on his back. He tried to keep from devouring her, but their connection was too strong, their desire too alive, and their kisses turned urgent and forceful. Jiggs pushed his nose against their faces, and Harley put his hand between them and the dog. But Jiggs whined and pawed at Harley’s arm.
He tore his mouth away and said, “Jiggs. Lie down, buddy.”
He reclaimed Piper’s luscious lips, wishing he could carry her up to bed and sink into her. Jiggs made a strangled noise somewhere between a growl and a whimper, pushing his nose against their faces again, and barked. Harley snapped his head up, looking around, and Jiggs ran into the house, then bolted back out, whining, and ran back in again. Harley saw smoke coming from the kitchen, and his heart lurched.
“Shit! The cookies.” He pushed up and grabbed the crutches as Piper shot to her feet, running in with him. Smoke billowed out of the stove. “Open the front door before the smoke alarm goes off,” he said as he pulled the cookie sheet from the oven. The cookies were burnt to a crisp. “Damn it.”
Piper ran around opening all the windows on the first floor. “Oh my God, poor Sophie.” She ran into the kitchen and said, “I’ll fix this. I promise. I’ll call Willow. I’m sure she can help. Give me the hot pad and I’ll take that outside.”
He gave her the hot pad, and she carried the cookie sheet out the front door. When she came back in, she was talking on her cell phone. “Harley’s dog ate the first batch, and we burned the second.” She listened as she paced the floor. “Yes, I’m still at Harley’s. Would you stop pumping me for information about me and Harley and focus? There’s a little girl upstairs who’s going to be very upset if she doesn’t have cookies tomorrow morning.”
Harley leaned against the counter, watching his girl save the day. He had heard her sisters try to pry information from one another on many occasions, and it was always entertaining. Knowing Willow was vying for info about them made him feel all kinds of good.
Piper turned away from Harley and lowered her voice. “No, I’m not staying here tonight. You know how I feel about sleepovers.”
A wave of disappointment moved through him. Maybe they weren’t coming along quite as quickly as he’d thought. Baby steps, he reminded himself.
“Thanks, Willow. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll pick them up tomorrow morning before the girls wake up,” Piper said, sauntering toward Harley. After she ended the call, she said, “It’s official. I do not belong in the kitchen.”
He wrapped his arms around her and said, “Not to worry. I’m very good in the kitchen.”
“And in the truck.” Her arms circled his neck. “In the bathroom and on the deck—”
Her words were lost in the hard press of his lips.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TWELVE INCHES HEADING your way!
Piper’s heart raced as she stood in the kitchen of Windsor Hall reading the text from Harley for a third time Friday afternoon. The sounds of her crew working competed with the rush of blood in her ears. This was not the place for her to be getting hot and bothered over the idea of finally getting down and dirty with Harley. Every time they were near each other, a magnetic pull sent them straight into each other’s arms, and now that they’d told the girls they were seeing each other, Harley was always pulling her into his arms or kissing her cheek. She’d never been insatiable for a man like she was with Harley. She’d always enjoyed sex. But she’d never had any emotional ties to the men she’d been with, which meant sex was a means to a stress-relieving end. She knew it wouldn’t be like that with Harley, but she and Harley weren’t having sex. They were making out, which in and of itself was mind-blowing.
Making out had never been part of the equation for Piper. A little foreplay, sure, but minutes of it, not hours. Everything was different with Harley. She could make out with him for days and never tire of his kisses or the feel of his arms around her. And touching him? Her stomach got fluttery every time their eyes met. She greedily touched him every chance she got, and when they were apart he infiltrated her every thought—she heard his laughter in her head at jokes her crew made, and his expressions—naughty, appreciative, and adoring—flashed in her mind all the time.
But she wanted more with him, and every time she tried to take it, or thought they were heading that way, he stopped them. So why was he announcing the arrival of his beloved blissmaker with a text message now? She liked to take risks,
but there was no place private enough for that at the job site. If he thought she was going to fool around in the truck anywhere near that place, he was dead wrong—even though she would like nothing better than to finally see if Harley was as incredible in bed as he was out of it. They were taking the girls to Delaney’s after school this afternoon, now that Delaney didn’t need full-time care, but that still didn’t explain why Harley had announced a visit to her work as if they were planning a lunchtime tryst.
She thumbed out a response. Dream on, Dutch. I’ve got a measuring tape. 8–9 inches max. She sent the text, chuckling at her joke. She knew he’d laugh, too, and that was another thing she really liked about him. Their banter was just as fun as it had always been, except now their sexual comments were directed at each other, not generalized as they were when they were with a group of friends. She kept waiting for him to try to change her, but he wasn’t, at least for now.
Unless she counted his unwillingness to take their relationship to the next level.
“Earth to Piper,” Kase said as he walked into the kitchen. He tossed a sub on the counter. “Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but this just came for you.”
“I didn’t order a sub.”
He shrugged. “Well, someone did.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder and said, “Me and a few of the guys are going to eat across the street at La Love Café. Want to join us?”
“No, thanks. Apparently I have a sub to eat.”
“Cool. At least whoever ordered it knows what you like. See ya.”
As he walked out, Piper picked up the sub and turned it over. TWELVE-INCH MEAT LOVER was scrawled on the side of the wrapper with black marker. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Sounds like someone’s in trouble,” her sister Talia said as she walked into the room, her high heels clicking along the hardwood floor. “I just saw Kase; he said it was okay to come in. Am I interrupting?” Like Ben, Talia took after their father. She was tall, with dark hair and a careful demeanor. She was a professor at Beckwith University, not far from Windsor Hall, and the most even-keeled of Piper’s siblings.
“Hey, Tal. Not at all. What’s up?”
Talia pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose, smiling like she knew a secret. “I keep hearing about you and Harley being a couple. Mom’s all wound up about some big matchmaking scheme she and Harley’s mother concocted, and Willow said you and Harley have been together every day for almost two weeks. I know how you feel about committing to more than one date, so I figured I’d come to the source and see if the rumors were true.”
“Yeah. They’re true.” She handed the sub to Talia and said, “What do you make of this?”
“A sub?”
“A twelve-inch meat-lovers sub, which was delivered right after Harley sent me this text.” Piper navigated to Harley’s text message and handed her phone to Talia.
“I’d say Harley knows you like meat-lovers subs. Why?” She set the sub on the counter.
“No.” Piper sighed. “I mean, yes, he knows I like them. But that text? If you didn’t see the sub, what would you think?”
Talia bit her lower lip, her cheeks instantly turning pink. “Something dirty?” she said just above a whisper.
“Yes, something dirty! Ugh.” Piper paced. “I don’t know what to think. Is there some new dating rule about not having sex until the hundredth date or something? Am I that out of the loop?”
“Because he sent you a sub?” Talia asked.
Piper glowered at her. “No! Because he won’t have sex with me.”
“Oh!” Talia’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait. Really? Guys always want to have sex, especially with you.”
“Well, not Harley. We’ve done everything else, and I don’t know why he won’t go there.” They’d even had full-on phone sex last night after she’d gone home. It had started just as it had the other night. Their flirty texts had progressed to sexting. But last night when things started to get hot and hectic, Harley had called. She’d never had phone sex before, but with Harley she wanted to try everything. Even though that all-consuming desire had freaked her out, nothing could have stopped her from playing along with him. After days of his cutting her off before they could consummate their relationship, she’d been so sexually frustrated she’d held nothing back. He was even more demanding on the phone than he’d been during their sexting sessions, and he seemed to love that she was just as much of a control freak as he was. She’d given him commands as explicit as those he’d given her, and they’d ended up putting their call on speakerphone because they’d both needed the use of two hands. Harley’s demands, the heat and control in his voice, and the thought of him touching himself had sent her over the edge. When he’d ground out her name in the throes of his own release, she’d come even harder. Afterward, when they were both sated, their voices raspy, he’d told her in explicit detail what he’d have done to her if he’d been in the room with her when she’d come, getting her hot and bothered all over again.
Talia tapped her finger on her chin, deep in concentration. “Do you think he knows you want to . . . you know?”
“Have sex? Yes, he definitely knows.” Piper loved her sister and everything about her. But she often wondered how they could have been raised by the same parents and turned out so different. “But right when I think we’re going to, he shuts me down and holds me or asks me to stay over, which he knows I won’t do.”
“I don’t blame him. He likes you, Piper. He probably wants to hold you afterward, which I highly recommend you try if he ever gives you the chance. Have you tried to make the right kind of move? Undress him or something?”
Piper rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I assume you have, but maybe not. Look who you’re asking for advice. None of this makes any sense. He’s been crazy about you for years.” Talia’s brows knitted, her face pinched tight.
“Then why won’t he get naked with me?”
Talia’s eyes flew open wide. “Oh my gosh!” She covered her mouth, laughing softly. “I know what it is.” Laughter bubbled out as she said, “I can’t believe you don’t see it!”
“See what?” Piper snapped.
“That you . . .” Talia doubled over in hysterics, holding her stomach. “This is too good!”
“Spit it out, Talia, because I’m about to lose my shit.”
Talia stood up straight, trying to school her expression, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, more laughter bubbled out, and when she closed it, she made a grunting-laughing noise trying to hold it in.
Piper glared at her.
“I’m sorry.” Talia waved her hand as if it would help her stop laughing. “But why can’t you see it? You like—no, you need—control. But you also have this thing about wanting a man to take control. Don’t you see, Piper? You’ve met your match. Harley Dutch has outwitted you. He’s completely taken control of your relationship, or at least of your sex life.”
“Wha—” Holy shit. Talia was right. “Fuck that. I’ll see you later.” She stormed through the house, texting Kase to let him know she was leaving, and flew out the front door.
“Wait!” Talia called after her, rushing to keep up. “Where are you going?”
“To regain control. Nobody one-ups me.” She hurried into the parking lot.
“But you left your sub!” Talia exclaimed.
“You can have the damn sub!” Piper threw open her truck door. “This meat lover is getting the real thing.”
Driven by her ego as much as the emotions wreaking havoc inside her, Piper blew through the doors of Dutch’s Pub and scanned the room in search of a certain bearded male who had some explaining to do.
She stalked up to the bar, and Jasper’s welcoming expression faltered. “Where is he?”
“Office.” He pointed across the bar.
Piper spun on her heels and headed for Harley’s office. The door was ajar, which was good, because she probably would have torn the damn thing off the hinge
s. She threw it open, and Harley looked up from his chair behind his desk.
“Hey, Pipe.”
She closed—bordering on slammed—the door. “Don’t give me that good-guy voice and those hauntingly hot eyes. What the hell kind of game are you playing, Dutch?” She didn’t mean to yell, but she’d stewed the whole way from Harmony Pointe, and she was livid . . . at her own vulnerability and at him.
He grabbed the crutches and stood up. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” She paced in front of his desk. “You tell me I can trust you, that you’re not going to hurt me, and then you withhold sex just to gain the upper hand? Talk about a control freak!”
He came around the desk, his features strained. “What the hell, Piper? You think I’m withholding sex to gain the upper hand?”
“It sure as hell looks like it.” She stopped pacing and crossed her arms.
His features hardened, and his words flew furiously between them. “Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want to be just another notch in your bedpost? That I’ve spent three years not just liking you, but fucking falling for you?”
Shock hit her like a slap to the face. “Is that what you think? That we’ll have sex and you’ll be just another guy to me?” Her voice escalated with hurt and anger. “I have rearranged my entire life to help you with your nieces and to spend every damn minute at your place just to ensure you take it easy so you don’t fuck up your ankle even more! I walk your dog, and I’m renovating your damn bathroom! If that doesn’t scream ‘I’m crazy about you,’ then I don’t know what does!”
“What that screams,” he said in a calmer, though still angry voice, “is that you’re a great friend with a big heart.”
“A great friend who blows you? Who lets you do all sorts of dirty things to my body?” Hurt lodged in her throat. She turned away, her hands curled into fists, and she gritted her teeth, unwilling to fall apart in front of him.
She Loves Me Page 17